“You come late, but yet you come.” This quote by the philosopher Schopenhauer could be aptly applied to Stephen Bannon’s attempt to cozy up to Elon Musk. Previously, Bannon called him a “broligarch” and an “illegal alien” and hinted that he may be a fraud. However, having irritated the White House enough, he changed his tune to praising DOGE as “effective and excellent,” likening it to “shock troops.”

Without much doubt, it appears that Trump engineered the conciliation just about the time he was putting distance between himself and Musk. What is interesting is that Bannon, who goes on and on about the Social Security people “earned,” now sings the praises of a man who called it a “Ponzi Scheme”. And as Bannon did in Trump’s first term, he missed the bus.

As usual, MAGA acolytes misread Trump, crediting him with a loyalty that he has not proven. The President is an actor and is a master of performance. He is a juggler, keeping the action going and his minions on their toes. In this skill, he has a few imitators and very few peers. His standard is to be obeyed and not yield.

Musk questioned tariffs and their chief architect, Peter Navarro, who, like Bannon, went to prison rather than testify against the boss. Trump, who already had a lot on his plate due to the Michael Waltz affair, now had to put out fires ignited by Musk.

Adding the Wisconsin election debacle, Trump signaled that perhaps Musk’s usefulness was coming to an end. The P.T. Barnum stunts and checks were partially responsible for its defeat. As Musk was on the verge of being packed away, Bannon eagerly supported a man whom he had properly called out months before. He came late and once again took one for his President in the form of appearing gullible.

MAGA, due to such entanglements, is looking more like a medicine show than a movement. It has gone from a gripping political force to something akin to a billionaire’s club. Howard Lutnick, the Commerce Secretary, has become the bane of the MAGA rank-and-file. And even many of the foreign policy approaches seem stale, warmed-over Cold War tropes. Not to mention the distractions such as the Canadian annexation.

Bannon is an intelligent observer, but he does flirt with John Birchite-style conspiracy theories. He supports tariffs while promoting gold schemes that only work in times of inflation. His new infatuation with Musk makes him resemble Ignatius Donnelly. Donnelly, a Populist in Minnesota, criticized the railroads while dealing with them under the table. Or Mary Elizabeth Lease, who switched to William McKinley while ignoring fellow Populist Willian Jennings Bryan

Such is the way of Populists movements that exploit symptoms but are not good at diagnosing causes. Political Ivermectan is a “remedy” with nothing of value. If Musk and Bannon keep it up, their tactics may resemble that old 19th-century standby, laudanum. It gives you a temporary sense of strength, but it often leads to sleepiness and boredom.